Mariners designate Daniel Vogelbach for assignment; recall Braden Bishop and Sam Haggerty; option Art Warren

Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

farewell, our son

Well, after weeks of speculation, Daniel Vogelbach’s time has come.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anybody - with Vogey slashing just .094/.250/.226 while coming off a brutal second half in 2019 and offering near-zero positional flexibility, the writing has been on the wall for some time now. Still, though, it’s hard not to feel at least a little melancholic. Vogelbach was the club’s second-longest tenured player after the immortal Kyle Seager, he was a true revelation in the first half of last season, and who could possibly forget his third-deck dinger against the Rangers?

Or even better, his mammoth blast over the Hit-it-Here Cafe in 2018, prompting an all-time reaction .gif from Nelson Cruz:

But the worst loss of all might be the best food item in the stadium:

Given Vogelbach’s recent (and not-so-recent) struggles, it seems unlikely that a team would claim him, especially now that he’s out of minor league options. But while this might not mean his time in the org has come to an end, he is firmly on the outside looking in, and it’s hard to see him fighting his way back on the 40-man any time soon. For now, goodnight our sweet prince, our Large Adult Son. May you learn to clobber those 3-1 fastballs someday.

Of course, every roster move has an ~equal but opposite reaction, and taking Vogey’s place on the roster is a twin billing of Braden Bishop and Sam Haggerty. Bishop made his big league debut last season, but struggled mightily at the plate to a .107/.153/.107 slash line over sixty plate appearances. Of course, missing significant time due to a lacerated spleen can’t be good for anybody, and his elite defense was on display in his short time in Seattle. Although Kyle Lewis has held his own in center field, Bishop’s presence might slide him over to right a couple times a week. Haggerty arrived in January thanks to a waiver claim from the Mets, and offers plus speed and the ability to fill in almost anywhere on the diamond. While he’s still behind Dylan Moore and Tim Lopes on the depth chart, he’s likely the fastest of that trio, and has the advantage of being a switch-hitter. He went 0-4 in the bigs last September, mostly being used as a pinch-runner, and will be on the lookout for his first Major League hit. Let’s hope he can get it!

To round things out, Art Warren was optioned back to the alternate site just a day after he was recalled. Though he didn’t get into yesterday’s game, the big righty looked solid in his first 5.1 innings with Seattle last season, and could well see himself back up soon. For now, though, the bench has returned to three men, with more flexibility and athleticism than before. I guess that’s a win? Oh yeah, Bryan Shaw also cleared waivers and was outrighted to Tacoma. Shaw has reached what experts call “the Fien zone” in his brief time in Seattle, and, against all odds, he survives another day in the org. Who would have thought.